What is Forever?
by slayerchick11
Summary: this is my version of the way things SHOULD have been in Buffy.OZ and Willow Buffy and Angel XanderAnya.no Tara.Angel left like in the 3rd season he will come back.and Oz left, he will 2.dont own it, wish i did. Chapter 7 is up! Sry for the long wait!
1. Days of Love and Hate

Willow Rosenberg opened her bloodshot eyes and sighed. Her eyes were

bloodshot for two reasons. Both of which lead up to Oz. She had been crying a

lot lately and she hadn't gotten a good night sleep for about 2 months. She

rolled over and looked at the clock; the numbers read 4:45 AM. She rolled and

tumbled off the bed, stood up, stretched, and went to her computer, hoping to

find some kind of spell on the net to help Buffy and her be happy again. They

had both been sad and moody science Oz and Angel had left. Their reasons for

leaving were similar. You deserve more; I'm not safe blah blah blah. Willow

put on her slippers and walked out of her room. She was alone because her

parents were on a trip of some sort. Just as she was going to reach for cereal the

phone rang. She took another look at the clock. It showed 5:05. Willow looked

at the caller ID that said Summers, Joyce. Willow half smiled. She knew, like

everyone else, that if you were going to be in the "Scooby gang" then you had

to be ready for early awakenings. "Hello?" Willow answered her phone. "Hey

Will we need you at the library. NOW!" Buffy sounded a bit panicked. "Buff,

what's up? You sound all…well un-Buffyish!" Willow finished lamely. "Will

this is bad. It's about…well it's too hard to explain on the phone just hurry and

get to the library!" "Ok I'll be there soon" they hung up. Willow ran to her

room and got dressed as fast as she could, packed a bag with things to defeat

vamps (it was still dark) and grabbed a cross. She ran out the door and walked

there as fast as she could. She got to the doors of the school just as the sun went

up, and walked to the library to find all her Anya sitting on Xander's lap, both

looking distressed, Giles pacing, and Buffy reading and re-reading a piece of

crumpled note book paper. "Hey Guys what's up?" willow asked. They all

looked at her at the same time. "Thank God you're here! Look at this!" Buffy

handed the paper to willow. She read it fast and turned white, looking up at her

friends and said in a hushed, choked voice, "this is bad." they all nodded. She

looked at it again to make sure she read it right. Sure enough the note hadn't

changed.

Hey B-

Bet you thought I was dead huh? It's good you suck at killing or I might be. I

have a feeling we're going to meet again real soon. Hope you're as excited as I

am.

I'll see you and all your little friends soon

Love ya!

--Faith.

"She sent it to me, curtsey of a flying rock through my window. This isn't good

guys." Buffy said. That they all agreed on. Little did they know that a certain

bad slayer was watching them from the window.


	2. Thoughts

Chapter 2:

It had been 3 days since the Scooby gang had heard anything of consequence from Faith. It had been 3 days since anything of consequence had happened at all. Buffy and Willow were getting ready for collage, Xander and Anya had

Absolutely no regard for the rule of P.D.A. making anyone in their company feel uncomfortable everywhere they went. Giles had, had his nose in some musty old demon book, foretelling the next apocalypse. All in all it had been a very dull time.

"Willow this is vital! If you don't want to get lost on campus then you might want to pay attention!" Willow turned her head back to her blond friend.

"I'm sorry Buff. It's just…"

Buffy sighed sympathetically, "I know. The full moon. Willow, I'm sorry. And later I promises we will do that 'sharing our misery thing' that we're so good at, but now we really have to learn this."

Willow looked into her friends once-full-of-life-but-now-sad blue eyes. She knew that Buffy had been there and knew what she was feeling. But right now, on this night she didn't want to share her misery. She wanted to mourn by herself. She needed to. "Buffy, I'm ok…really. Plus I have a bunch of…uh…stuff to do tonight so…"

"Ok Will. Ok"

Willow sat on her porch looking up at the big bright full moon. She remembered all those times she had to lock Oz up in the cage in the library. She remembered right before he became a wolf he would look at her as if to say thank you.

Oz never really said much, he had always been rather quiet. But he didn't need to use words. His eyes told her everything. They spoke of love and gratitude.

He had told her he loved her once but that was right before he left and she was much too distraught to say anything. Willow wished more than anything that she could take back that day. She remembered it all too much. Suddenly she was lost in the memories that tortured her.

"_Willow please understand! I can't be with you. I can't be with anyone. I can't ever be with anyone! I'm a monster, Will." _

"_What if I don't care?!" Willow practically shouted._

_Oz looked sadly at her. His green eyes were filled with silent tears. "Will…I do care."_

_Willow was starting to get frustrated. "WELL STOP!" she shouted in his face. Tears streamed down her face and made it hard to see. Oz walked up to her and tried to brush the tears off her face but she turned away._

"_I wish I could Willow but I can't. Will, I love you."_

_Willow's eyes got wide as she looked at his face. He said it. He finally said it. Now it was her turn to say something back. She opened her mouth for a moment, silently praying that the words would come. They didn't. She sat there like an idiot with her mouth wide open, not making a sound. She knew she couldn't say those words. They would mean good-bye and she couldn't handle that. She looked in his eyes one last time then turned and walked away without a word. She expected to hear Oz shout her name, or run after her, but he didn't. So she walked home in silent tears and fell on her bed and sobbed. Oz was gone. _

The next flash was of something a bit more pleasant.

_Willow sat on the couch wearing a lavender peasant skirt that went just past her knees and a brown t-shirt with a slight v-neck. Buffy had loaned her the clothes saying that her first valentines day with Oz should be perfect._

_A knock on the door brought her out of her daze. She walked to it and let Oz in. He was wearing khaki pants and a light-blue button up (that wasn't buttoned) with a white shirt under it. He smiled at her with his award winning Oz-like smile. _

"_Wow Willow. You look beautiful!"_

_She blushed and looked at her feet, "You do too…In a…well…guy-like way…of course and…uh…" Willow finished lamely turning a deep shade of red. _

_Oz smiled "You wanna go now?" He held out his arm politely. She took it with a smile. _

_She looked around her. They were celebrating Valentines Day at a carnival. The two of them walked hand-in-hand around the park. They rode a few rides, but mainly they talked and enjoyed being in each others company. After a few hours they wandered over to the 2nd section of the fair. This was _the_ side that had all the booths with those cheap games that no one _really_ wins. Willow spun around enjoying herself by looking at all the different things. Oz was smiling happily. Willow stopped in her tracks. She was looking straight at a booth adorned in giant prize teddy bears. _

"_Do you want one?" Oz asked pointing at the hanging bears. She looked at him like he was her hero. He took her hand and lead her over. _

"_Hey, can we get five darts?" Oz asked the worker. He handed him the darts as Oz handed him the money. He took one look at the balloon he had to pop. He closed one eye and threw the dart. It hit the balloon in the center and with a loud POP it burst. Willow was ecstatic! _

"_What one do you want baby?" Oz asked her affectionately. Willow picked out a soft black and white bear. _

"_He's so cute, Oz! I'll name him Oz Jr. O.J. for short!" He smiled at her sweetly, and kissed her. _

_Willow opened the door to her house. Her date had gone perfectly. Oz looked at her not saying a word. Then he leaned in and kissed her softly. He pulled back and took something out of his pocket. It was a small green box with a nice decorative bow. Willow looked confused. _

"_Open it!" he said sweetly. _

_She smiled at him and took the box. She opened it slowly unveiling a metal necklace with a small metal heart on it. _

"_I was going to get you one that was pink and girly with diamonds on it, but I figured this is more like the real thing. I mean this is more like…well…my heart. And now I'm giving it to you. You have my heart, Will."_

_She leaned in a kissed him passionately. She knew right then that she was in love with him. She just knew._

She sat upright. Tears streamed down her face. She walked into her room and fell on the bed. She picked up O.J. and fell asleep with that bear in her arms wishing it was the real thing,


	3. plans

Chapter 3:

Oz sat in his van, which was parked on the side of the road, starring at the large sign that was placed in front of him. YOU ARE NOW ENTERING SUNNYDALE! ENJOY YOUR STAY! Oz sighed. He was home. In the three months he had been gone he could think of only one thing. Willow. The moment he saw her he knew, she was the one for him. He never wanted to hurt her, but he did. Now he needed to see her, even if she turned him away. But first things first…

He stepped on the gas and drove into the small hellish town that he loved so much, thinking as he went. He thought of his and Willow's first kiss, their first date, their first time making love. He thought of when he'd left and tears welled up in his green eyes. He drove past the school, which had obviously been re-built. He turned into Buffy Summers drive way. He got out and hesitantly knocked on the door. From inside he heard someone yell "I GOT IT!" and the door opened.

Dawn Summers stood, starring in awe, then let out a high-pitched scream of delight. "OZ!"

Oz looked up the stairs in panic. "Dawn shh! I don't want Willow to know I'm here!"

Dawn's smile faded. "You didn't come here to be with her?" she asked sadly.

"No, I did…its just…I want it to be a surprise. Is she here?"

Dawn lit up again and shook her head. "I'm glad you came back Oz. Willows been a mess without you. Her and Buffy are always moping around. But now that you're here Willow will be happy! Now all we need is that Angel guy…"

"So Willows not here? Good. Is Buffy?" He asked the rambling 16 year old.

"Yeah. OH MY GOSH! I'm so rude! I'm sorry! Come in!"

Oz smiled and walked in. "You can go sit while I get Buffy, if you want."

"Ok thanks, Dawn." He walked over to the couch and sat down awkwardly. He didn't know how Buffy would react to seeing him. He looked around. The pictures on the walls hadn't changed a bit. Buffy and Dawn's school pictures hung above the TV and a large picture of Buffy, Dawn and Joyce was on the fireplaces mantle (a/n I know there is no fire place but that's all I could think of.) Oz looked over on the side table. There were 4 framed pictures on it. The first that was at the center of the table showed Buffy Xander and Willow. (a/n the one in the episode Halloween and dead mans party.) the 2nd showed Buffy Willow Xander and Giles. In it Giles was sitting next to Buffy with a book on his lap and a big smile, Willow and Buffy's smiles looked like they were enjoying it but not entirely happy and behind them Xander was giving Giles bunny ears with a big goofy smile. The third Oz was in. It was right after they blew up the school. Willow bought a camera from a local drug store and decided to have a 'yeah we survived the apocalypses so ha' picture as she put it. It was the whole Scooby gang. Buffy and Xander were standing right next to each other with looks that said 'I told you we could do it!' next to Xander was Giles and next to him was Cordelia. Giles had a look that said 'I'm happy but still British so I wont lose my head' and Cordy's look said something like 'Yeah we survived. Can I go now?' Oz eyes lit up when he saw the next people, Willow and himself. They were sitting right next to one another. One of Willow's hands was punching the air as if to say 'GO US!' and her other was around his shoulders. Both his hand were around her waist. They looked so happy… he placed the picture back in its spot and picked up the next. It was Willow and him. Buffy had taken it and said it was the sweetest. Oz had his hand wrapped around Willow's waist and her arms were around his shoulders. They were in mid-kiss. He sighed and put it back. He missed Willow so much…

"OZ!" Buffy's happy scream resembled her sisters as she ran into her living room and pulled him into a friendly hug. "I knew you would come back!" She beamed.

"Yeah I'm here! Look, Buffy, I need your help. I want to surprise Willow, but I don't know how."

Dawn stepped in the room and said, "I have an idea."

As Dawn, Buffy and Oz talked about how to surprise Willow and came up with the perfect plan, Faith listened at the window, planning her next move. She was going to make this a reunion that no one would forget.

a/n so there is chap. 3. Reviews are thanked! Please! I want to know how I'm doing. The next chapter will have Willow and Oz together I promises. And soon Buffy might get exactly what she's been wishing for! )

Thanks for reading! Chapter 4 will be up soon!

Slayerchick11/Katie!


	4. A Bittersweet homecoming

Chapter 4

"Buffy, I don't want to go to the bronze tonight. I'm tired." Willow complained. Buffy and everyone else for that matter had been telling her to go to the club on this day. Buffy was so persistent that it was actually frightening.

"Will, you HAVE to come! Dingo's Ate My Baby is playing!"

"So? That temp they got to replace Oz is horrible. He has no passion for the music at all."

Buffy sighed in frustration. It had been four days since Oz had come to buffy and Dawn and asked for help. In that four days the news that Oz was back had been spread to all the members of the Scooby gang, and a few other choice people that were also needed in the plan. That is all the Scooby gang with the exception of Willow. If she found out the plan they had thought up it would be nothing but wasted creativity, especially on Oz's part.

"Come on Willow, please. Even Dawn is going!" Buffy cried.

Willow sighed. "Fine. But I'm not staying long."

For the next two hours Willow and Buffy got ready. Buffy took out the most perfect Willow dress she had ever found and told her to put it on. The dress just screamed "Willow". It was silky and baby blue with thin straps. The length went just below the knee. It went perfect with her orange-red hair that was tied up in a cool twisty bun. Soon Dawn, Buffy and Willow were in the car and ready to go. Willow kicked off her black flats, set them in the back and started the car.

When the three of them got to the Bronze they found Anya, Xander, and Giles sitting at a table sipping they're drinks.

"Whoa! Giles? What are you doing here?" Willow asked Giles with concern. He had been verbally bashing The Bronze ever since Buffy had arrived in Sunnydale.

"Oh…Uh…I just thought I'd see why everyone loves this place so

much." Giles stutterd. "Still cant see why…"

"It's called fun Giles. We like it here because of the fun. That's F-U-N." Xander said, as if speaking to a 5 year old. Just as Giles was about to retort the lights went out and a spot light went on the stage, showing Devon the lead singer of Oz's old band. Willow had just noticed how close to the stage they were. They usually got a table in the back.

"I'm Devon and I sing for Dingo's Ate My Baby. Tonight there's going to be a slight change though." Devon spoke with a huge smile on his face. "WELCOME BACK!" he shouted. Just then music started. A guitar. Music full of passion. Then the spot light shifted to a somewhat short guy, with redish blond semi spiked hair and Willow felt her heart race. Then he sang. His voice filled the club.

"As tears roll down a sunken face and blood is turned to led,

With hurt and pain in hazel eyes and pounding in your head.

Telling them that you're alright and wishing that you were and hoping that you soon will be but fate has shown no favors,

So what do ya do when life's so broken and cold that you cant seem to stand on your own?

And now what do ya do when your only true friend is yourself and you lie to that too?

I love you with all of this shattered heart and I know that it starts with these broken words, they may not be worth much but still mean the world.

I'm sorry I hurt you

I'm sorry you cried,

cuz I know it felt like I would die

And sometimes still I wonder why

I would ever leave your perfect side,

But now, oh now I have to ask.

I love you Willow.

Can I have this dance?"

Willow felt the tears roll from her eyes and onto the table. This couldn't be a dream. She could never have dreamed the look in his eyes. He was staring at her with so much love. She felt her legs stand her up and run. She ran onto stage and into his arms. And he held her. She looked at him and said, not caring who heard, "I love you Oz!" He smiled a patented Oz grin and kissed her and she kissed back. All of the sudden she jumped and gasped a bit. Not a gasp of joy, a gasp of pain. Oz pulled back and looked at her concerned. She had a confused look on her face, her mouth was open slightly and her green eyes wide. Then she fell into his arms, giving him a clear view of her back. There was a large dart sticking out from it. Buffy was beside them in a second. She pulled the dart out of the unconscious Willow. It had 4 words written on it: "Welcome home. Love Faith."

This was certainly a very bitter-sweet homecoming. Nowhere but the hellmouth, Oz thought. Nowhere...


	5. Last Hope

"Well, we can be sure that it is some kind of…" Giles trailed off.

"Poison." Buffy finished grimly.

"Unfortunately, yes. Now, I have been trying my best to determine what kind so we can find the proper cure, but so far I have had no luck…at all." He finished helplessly.

Oz couldn't listen to this anymore. Willow had only been down for about three hours. They had gotten her out of the Bronze immediately and, in Oz's van, brought her to Buffy's house. She was now in Buffy's bed in a deep sleep.

"So what do we do?" Oz asked in his quiet voice.

"Well, for now, we keep looking. See if we can find anything." Giles said.

"And if we don't?" Xander asked in the same frustration that Oz felt but didn't speak.

"Then we look somewhere else." Dawn said confidently.

"Yeah…" Buffy muttered worriedly.

In the other room, a voice murmured something inaudible. Everyone was still as though moving would shatter the perfect sound of her voice. They heard it again.

"Oz…" Willow muttered weakly from Buffy's room. Oz leapt up and jogged urgently down the hall. There she was, laying in bed, beads of sweat forming on her face, and perfect red hair sprawled on the pillow around her. Oz went to the bed, sat down on the side and took her slick hand.

"Willow? Willow, can you hear me?" He asked quietly.

"Mmhmm...Oz…" She muttered.

"Yeah baby. I'm right here. Don't worry."

"I…don't feel…so good…Oz." she said slowly, weakly.

"Shh…don't worry were gonna make you all better ok?"

She shook her head a little. "Poison." she said groggily.

He knew he couldn't lie to her. "Yeah, it is. But don't worry…We'll find the cure soon."

Willow shook her head a little harder this time. "Elenos Munsa." she stated softly.

Behind him, Giles and Anya gasped. That was never good. He felt goose bumps rise on his arm.

"No…" Anya moaned softly.

"What? Who's Elisa Mustard?" Buffy asked bewildered.

"Elenos Munsa," Giles corrected her sadly, "is a poison that has a lost cure. It has been lost for just about 150 years."

"Anya's older then that, right?" Dawn asked hopefully.

"Yes but…I wasn't really…paying attention at all. I didn't really get myself involved with human stuff so I don't know it." She finished in angst.

"But someone has to know it, right? I mean we have to know someone else older then 150, don't we?" She asked in panic.

That's when it hit everyone, other then Dawn, what she had just said. They all turned to look at Buffy with wide eyes.

"Angel…" she muttered.

"As much as I hate to say this, he may be our only hope to save Willow…" Xander said quietly. Buffy's face showed intense pain. Oz could tell she was thinking, trying to find another way. She looked like she was going to argue back, when Willow moaned in pain. Oz's free hand went to stroke the side of her face gently. Pain shown fiercely in his blue-green eyes.

"Fine, we'll get Angel." She said dully. "Lets go call him."

They all left the room except Oz and, of course, Willow.

"Oz…" Willow said so softly it was hard to hear.

"Yeah baby?"

"I missed you. So much."

"Will…I'm so sorry. I was so stupid to leave. I didn't help anything by going." Oz said guiltily.

Willow laughed very weakly. "No, you didn't. But don't worry Oz. I understand why you went. I forgive you. I'm gonna miss you."

"Willow, don't! Don't say that! Nothings going to happen to you! I wont let it! Please Willow…Please hold on! I can't lose you!"

And with that Oz started to cry. Not just tears. No. He sobbed for the first time since he was 5. He buried his face into her stomach and sobbed. He felt her hand on the top of his head, soothingly running her fingers through his red blond hair.

"Shh…Oz…Please don't cry anymore. I love you." She whispered.

Oz brought his head up and met her eyes.

"Willow, you have to promise me something." Oz said intensely, tears still staining his cheeks.

"Anything." Willow vowed.

"Don't give up. No matter how hard it is. If you die, my heart dies with you." He said.

"I promise."

Then Willow wiped the tears from his face and said softly, "I love you Daniel Simon Osborne. I always will."

"In all my life…I've never loved anything else, other then you Willow Marie Rosenberg."

There eyes met and Oz kissed her pink lips very softly…

Then Buffy walked in. They pulled apart and both looked at her.

"I called him. He's coming down. He says he has to see her before he can find her cure. He says there are different cases and he had to see what kind she has."

"When?" Oz asked. Sooner was better then later in this case.

"About two hours." She said grimly.

"Buffy." Willow said softly.

"Yeah Will?"

"Don't be mad. He did what he thought was right. He was trying to keep you safe. Try and forgive him."

"I have. I love him. It will just be…awkward."

"Yeah…but it might be worth it." She said kindly.

"I hope your right, Willow. I really do." 


	6. not a chapter but please read

Hey everyone! Ok I hate when people do this, but I have to say I'm very sorry that its taken me this long to update. I'm hoping that I will have a new chapter up by Sunday or Monday, because I have two new ones written I just need to type them and the next ones pretty long. So again I'm really really sorry and I hope you keep reading even though I have been rather bad at updating. I really will try to do that faster! Thanks so much!

Sorry yet again,

Slayerchick11 AKA Katie!


	7. The Cure

A/N: Sorry, I didn't get it up on Monday, but here it is now. Enjoy!

The next two hours were pure hell. Willow was getting worse and worse by the second and they knew time was running low, fast. They all sat, rather cramped, in Buffy's room crowded around the bed. It was around 11 PM that they heard a loud knock. Buffy stood up grimly and went to answer the front door, Dawn in her wake. "So this is your ex, right?" she asked loudly when she was right next to the front door.

"Yeah, now shut up!" Buffy said in a hushed voice. Dawn stuck her tongue out at her sister and opened the door.

"Buffy..." Angel said as an awkward greeting.

"Hey... she's upstairs... my room." Buffy said not looking at him.

Angel nodded and began the upward climb to Buffy's room. Dawn cut in front of him and ran up the stairs. Angel looked at Buffy questioningly. He probably thought they had added a member to the Scooby gang.

"That's Dawn, my little sister." Buffy said simply.

Angel looked very confused.

"Your sister? But…?"

Buffy just shook her head a bit and said in a cool voice, "It's a long story."

They reached the door and walked in. Angel got a few reactions. Giles looked up and nodded to him in a greeting, not hating him, but definitely holding a grudge. Anya simply waved, not knowing him enough to do much else. Xander was looking anywhere but at him, not liking him in the least and Oz simply said "hey," not taking his eyes from Willow's pale face.

"Hello everyone." he said to the room at large.

"Angel…?" Willow asked weakly.

"Yeah Will, he's here. We'll make you better now." Oz said.

Angel walked over to the bed and looked at her. "Willow, don't move alright?" he said.

She laughed weakly, "really not an issue."

Angel moved over her and opened one of her eyes. "Do you guys have a flashlight or something?"

Giles got up and went over to the bag of medical supplies he brought from home and extracted a small light.

"Thanks." Angel said as he took the light and shown it into her eye, "hmmm…" was all he said, thoughtfully.

"Was that a good 'hmmm' or a bad 'hmmm'?" Xander asked in obvious annoyance.

"Good. Her pupils are still responding." For a moment it looked as though he was in deep thought.

"I need her blood." He said finally.

For a moment they all just sat there gawking at him before Dawn shouted "WHAT!?"

He looked around in confusion for a split second before it dawned on him.

"No! I mean someone needs to DRAW it with a NEEDLE so I can smell it!"

"Wait! You need to SMELL her blood?!" Xander asked in disgust.

"I can smell how bad it is." He explained.

"Ok. Giles you got a needle in that bag for us?" Buffy asked silencing Xander's retort.

"Yes of course." He said bringing forth a needle and vile, and handing them to Buffy.

She handed the vile to Oz and put the needle in position. Oz grabbed Willow's hand softly.

"Sorry if this stings Will." Buffy said.

She slid the needle in and drew the blood easily taking the vile as she did so. She squirted it into the tiny bottle and handed it to Angel. He sniffed it and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Ugh that's foul. But I know what's wrong!" he said in victory.

"Can you cure it?" Oz asked quietly.

"Yeah, I remember the cure exactly, but I may need some stuff. Buffy could you get me some paper and a pen? I need to write a list." She nodded and looked and Dawn who hurried out and back within the minuet with a notebook and pen. "Thanks." He said kindly to her. Dawn smiled and stood next to her sister. "Okay I'm also goanna need Willow's cauldron.

"We'll get it. I know where the hide-a-key is for her house." Xander said as he and Anya departed.

"Ok someone go to the Magic Shop and get these ingredients." Angel said.

"It's closed but if I have to I'll break in." Giles said taking the list and exiting the room.

"Giles wait! I wanna come!" Dawn yelled and ran from the room.

"So that's it?" Oz asked.

"I can't do much else without the stuff, so until they get back, yeah that's it." Angel replied.

"Maybe we should leave them alone." Buffy whispered to Angel, gesturing to Oz and Willow.

They left the room, shutting the door behind them. Buffy walked down the stairs without looking at Angel, and he followed awkwardly after her. She walked into the living room and sat down on a chair. Angel sat across from her on the couch.

"So…how've you been?" Buffy asked.

"Been better…you?"

"Been better…" An awkward silence followed this statement.

"So, LA, huh?" said Buffy, breaking it.

"Yeah, LA…" he said. "So, you're staring college soon, then?"

"Yup."

"So, are you going to live on campus?"

"Uh…no, I have to stay here and take care of Dawn." Buffy said with a pained look on her face.

"What about your mom?" Angel asked in confusion.

"She…well…she's dead…" said Buffy, her voice breaking.

Angel felt his mouth fall open. "What happened?"

"Vampire; I went out with Dawn and she was in the yard when she got attacked. Dawn and I came home to find it feeding off of her…I dusted it and drove her to the hospital but…well it was too late. She left Dawn to me." She finished.

"Buffy…I am so sorry," Angel said truthfully.

"Yeah, me too…" there was another awkward pause.

"Angel…how long are you staying here?" She asked sadly already predicting the worst.

He sighed sadly. "I don't know Buffy…I don't want to mess you up by staying, but…I don't want to go."

Buffy stared at him with wide eyes before she got the courage to talk.

"Then don't…you don't have to go Angel." She said a bit desperately. She felt the tears coming to her eyes.

"Buffy…" Angel said sadly. "I--" But he was cut off by the door banging open.

"Let's go." Buffy said.

They both got up, knowing Willow was more important then themselves right now.

"Okay, you guys got the stuff?" Angel asked them all as they walked up to Buffy's room.

Oz looked up at them as they entered. "Hurry." he said, "I think she's getting worse."

"Okay, Xander, Cauldron and Giles, ingredients." Angel said as they handed him the things.

Angel spent the next hour making a cure. When it was ready he scoped it into a bottle and handed it to Oz. "This should work. It won't taste so good, but she'll be better soon."

"Thank you Angel." Oz said gratefully.

Oz took it and fed it to her. She gagged loudly.

"I know; I'm sorry, baby. Shh. This is gonna make you better." Oz said rubbing her back.

Willow lay back on her pillow and looked at Angel. "Thank you Angel. Thank you so much." She said, her voice a bit stronger.

Xander turned to him and looked him in the eye. "Well…you went up a few points in my book. Thanks. Your not…so bad." he said quietly.

Angel was flattered. "Thanks Xander. That means a lot." Xander just nodded and turned to talk to Buffy. Anya smiled and simply said "thank you," sincerely and turned to talk to her boyfriend and Buffy. Dawn came right up to him, beaming and hugged him tightly. He hesitantly hugged her back with a small smile on his face. She released him and said "Thanks!" then hurried over to hug Willow.

Giles was the next and last to come up to him. Angel knew he deserved nothing from him. He needed nothing from Giles, and after all the stuff Angel had put him through, what with the killing his girlfriend and torturing him thing, he didn't expect anything. Giles looked at him and spoke briskly. "Angel, thank you. Really we couldn't have done it without you. You have truly earned my respect."

Then he walked away leaving Angel feeling extremely grateful.

"I should go." Giles told the room. "Willow, feel better. See you all tomorrow." and with that he left.

"We should go too. Hey Dawny, wanna sleep over?" Anya asked excitedly.

"Buffy can I? Please?" she pleaded.

"Okay. But, Anya? She does need sleep."

"Gotcha! C'mon you don't need to pack you have enough at out house." Anya said happily. "Willow, feel better!"

"See ya guys tomorrow; and, Oz? Take it easy on Will tonight. I mean don't have TOO much FUN tonight. Just keep the chains, whips and costumes in the closet until tomorrow." Xander said winking at him.

"Ew!" Dawn said, hitting him. "Let's go."

And they were gone.

"It ok if I steal Willow for the night?" Oz asked Buffy.

Buffy raised her eyebrows.

"We're just gonna talk and sleep. I swear."

"Well…okay."

Oz picked her up wedding style. She giggled softly and he kissed her gently. "Bye guys." She said, still a bit weakly to them. "See you tomorrow, and thanks again Angel." Oz said and carried her out the door leaving Buffy and Angel standing awkwardly in her room.

"Okay, now is the time to talk." Buffy said and Angel agreed. Now was the time to choose what he should do, follow his heart to Buffy or his head back to LA. What a horrible choice to have to make twice.


	8. Together again

a/n- OH MY GOSH IM SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG!!! I got really busy with school. Sorry if there are mistakes but I didn't get anyone to proof it so yeah, here it is!! CHAPTER 7!!!!!!!!

TOGETHER AGAIN-

Buffy and Angel sat awkwardly on her bed trying to find a way to start.

"I…" Angel started.

"What?" Buffy asked urgently looking into his eyes.

"I think I know what I want…but I don't want what I think I know I want…I think…" he said. He looked as though he was confusing himself.

She sighed, "I know exactly what you mean." She was angry with herself for still loving him.

"Let's just say I did stay… Then what? What would happen to us?" Angel said cautiously.

"Well…I don't know exactly…"

"I mean let's say we get back together. What about everyone else? What if Dawn doesn't like me? And then what? And what would happen in the future? How could I ever be a good boyfriend or husband if we can't even make love without me turning evil?" Angel ranted.

"Angel you should know by now that I don't care about any of those things! And as for everyone else, Anya won't care she's a demon! And Oz and Willow already like you, so does Dawn for that matter and Giles…well he want me to be happy again. And I think Xander doesn't hate you as much as he lets on."

"How do you know that Dawn likes me?" Angel asked bewildered.

Buffy laughed. "Did you see her? Plus you saved Willow and she loves Will."

"How can you not care about the other things? How can I let you throw away your life to be with me?" he said in angst. He wanted her so badly but he would not allow himself to be so selfish.

Buffy smiled grimly. "Angel, I'm a vampire slayer. I was born destined to be a weirdo. Why not complete it and have a demon for a boyfriend."

Angel couldn't resist the temptation any longer. He grabbed her face between his hands and kissed her fiercely. It took Buffy a moment to realize what was happening, but when she did she kissed him back so hard that they were laying on each other. After a few moments Angel pushed them both back up and pulled away looking deep in Buffy's eyes intensely.

"I love you Buffy." He said at last.

"Then don't leave. Stay with me." She was practically begging now.

"Buffy…I'm a vampire and you're a slayer. How could it ever truly work?" He asked sadly.

"We'll make it work! We have to stay strong! We have to fight!" She said strongly.

"Buffy…I am fighting." He said quietly.

She looked angrily at him. "It means nothing if your fighting for the wrong reason! You're fighting to stay away and what good will that do?" Her blue eyes shone brightly with tears.

"Buffy…"

"You love me right?" She asked.

"Of course I do but…"

"Then don't go…please." She whispered, only inches away from him now. He smiled and his hand went up to stroke the side of her face gently.

"I'll stay."

And that was all it took. Buffy kissed him with all the passion she had in her and he kissed back, for now, everything was perfect.


End file.
